LOS GATOS GETS A FACELIFT: OLD & NEW FACES AMONG THE DOWNTOWN SCENE

THIS WEEK, THE DOWNTOWN LOS GATOS SCENE WAS SET OUT WITH A FEW OLD FACES, AS WELL AS NEW OR UPCOMING ONES. WITH A TOUR AROUND SANTA CRUZ AND UNIVERSITY AVENUES, A COMMON THEME SEEMED TO BE ABOUT A “FACELIFT” TO THE MANY EXISTING BUILDINGS THAT HOUSE THE TOWN’S BUSINESSES.

A new shop called “We Olive” will be opening at 110 N. Santa Cruz Avenue, the former site of Maria’s. The former business at the site was a boutique selling goods from France, England and Italy, established as early as 1976.

We Olive prides themselves as being “the olive oil experience,” therein striving to be the best place to experience the finest of California olive oils and other olive products from around the world. They currently have 11 stores in California that focus on extra virgin olive oil. They began in October 2003 in the town of Paso Robles. There, in the state’s central coast region, the business realized a culture of exceptional restaurants and wineries; but, also that of lesser known olive oil producers. So, their idea was to create a central marketplace from which the product of California’s artisan olive oil growers would be showcased. Visitors could try all these oils, as well as make a purchase.

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Down the street at 18 North Santa Cruz Avenue, the building that houses Harvest Furniture is getting a bit of an improvement of sorts. The store known for its “unpretentious yet sophisticated California lifestyle” is currently found behind scaffolding, as workers pay attention to some details on the structure’s outer surface. Inside, its business as usual.

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Meanwhile, over at “The Harry Perrin Home” situated at 315 University Avenue, things are progressing nicely, including a view of the back-end of the old house. De·Anza Post has previous covered this historic domicile, here. A long time fixture in the community, the home is being completely restored, from the inside and out.

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The Perrin Home is across the street from the Los Gatos Fire Station; whereas, a parking lot at its back side separates it from David Kinch’s Manresa Restaurant, which has also been featured by the de·Anza Post in the recent past. A month after a fire at this restaurant, not much has changed. It still remains barricaded from behind a cyclone fence. One of the back doors to the kitchen remains as a sober reminder of how the flames consumed the kitchen area, although employees were not present at the time when the blaze took over the establishment.

Manresa: the back kitchen door, consumed by flames (same, a month later)

Manresa: a month later, not much has changed from the outside. It’s till barricaded.